A-10 Thunderbolt II
The A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic and operated by the United States Air Force to provide close air support (CAS) of ground forces by attacking tanks, armored vehicles, and other ground targets with a limited air interdiction capability. It is the first US Air Force aircraft designed exclusively for close air support, and for that designed based on survivability out of strafing runs, having an airframe able to survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high-explosive projectiles to up to 23mm, and capability of flying and landing safely with part of a wing lost or, on worst scenarios, a wing and an engine torn off. The A-10 is designed for the use of the GAU-8 Avenger, a heavy automatic cannon which forms the aircraft's primary armament. The A-10's official name comes from the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II, a fighter that was particularly effective at close air support. The A-10 is more commonly known by its nickname "Warthog" or simply "Hog". The A-10 is expected to be replaced in 2028 or later. Battlefield 2 The A-10 Thunderbolt II featured in Battlefield 2: Armored Fury It is classed as an Attack Jet and is one of the 4 American aircraft in the game (F-18, F-35B, F-15E, A-10). In Battlefield 2, it is fully pilotable and is much stronger than regular jets. However, the A-10 Thunderbolt does not have an afterburner feature. A-10 1.jpg A-10 2.jpg A-10 3.jpg A-10 Thunderbolt Cockpit.jpg|The cockpit of the A-10 Thunderbolt. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Singleplayer The A-10 appears in the level Heavy Metal, and targets TOW launchers and RPGs that the player is told to take out. Multiplayer The A-10 Thunderbolt II does not appear in Battlefield Bad Company 2 as an in game playable vehicle. It does appear, however, as an AI controlled vehicle that perform strafing runs with its GAU-8 Avenger cannon on pre-set patches of terrain. They appear as either one aircraft or two. The A-10 Thunderbolt II can be seen on the first and fourth base of Arica Harbour. One appears to delay the Russian advance in Port Valdez after the second base is taken. These jets also appear on White pass, occosionally making low flying passes near the cliff side of the level heading off toward the Russian spawn. On the rush level Valparaiso the A-10s can be seen launching an airstrike after some radio conversations. The radio traffic begins after the attackers destroy the first set of M-COM stations. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 iPhone The A-10 Thunderbolt II makes a appearance in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 iPhone in the second mission, Search and Retrieve. If the player successfully defends the downed Black Hawk, the player must call in a airstrike on 2 T-90s. After the player designates the targets, a A-10 with destroy the tank, the process is repeated with the second T-90. Battlefield Play4Free The A-10 Thunderbolt has yet to appear, if at all, in Battlefield Play4Free as a usable vehicle. A wrecked A-10 can be seen on the map Basra, on the main road between points C and B. Battlefield 3 The A-10 Thunderbolt II is featured on the Rush versions of Caspian Border, Kharg Island, and Operation Firestorm, and is used for Close Air Support against incoming Russian tanks, having as counterpart the Su-25TM Frogfoot. It is seen acting as CAS for the player's unit during Thunder Run. They make strafing runs on a PLR compound after it is designated by the player through a MAV's live feed. The Thunderbolt appear to be limited in boundary, unlike jets. Like air transports, they have a higher tolerance for damage (catching fire at 35% health) than jets and other vehicles. Trivia *The strafing run from the A-10 in Port Valdez and Arica Harbor cannot damage players or destroy Anti-tank mines and is purely cosmetic. * In'' Battlefield: Bad Company 2, if looking closely at the strafing runs, you will notice the A-10 Thunderbolts never actually stop firing. * Another appearance of the A-10s in ''Battlefield: Bad Company 2 occurs on the map Valparaiso. After the attackers capture the first base, the fishing port, before going up the next hill, dialogue between two pilots over the radio can be heard. The two pilots are receiving and confirming coordinates for an airstrike, where they can be heard using callsigns and announce the moment of the airstrike. Some of the dialogue includes them saying "Angel-four, your targets have been verified. Three, two, one, splash", followed by the sound and sight of two A-10 thunderbolts flying overhead and carpet-bombing the hillside, creating a large explosion. Like the other appearances, the airstrike does not affect gameplay whatsoever, and is just "eye-candy." A similar event can be observed involving helicopters on Panama Canal. * On the Kharg Island rush mode, the A-10 takes off from an aircraft carrier, but A-10's can't actually take off from carriers. External links *A-10 on Wikipedia Category:Vehicles Category:Vehicles of Battlefield 2 Category:Vehicles of Battlefield 3 Category:Fixed-wing Aircraft